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This paper describes the work of the Family Welfare Association's (FWA's) Tower Hamlets Family Support Services projects (FSSs). Tower Hamlets is a multiracial area in East London, which according to the 1991 census has high levels of poverty, overcrowding and unemployment. Increasing poverty and social exclusion, which further entrench inequalities in health, are reported by sources such as Government, health and social services departments as requiring innovative local responses to meet pressing welfare needs. Innovative projects are especially urgent with vulnerable families whose...

This paper describes the work of the Family Welfare Association's (FWA's) Tower Hamlets Family Support Services projects (FSSs). Tower Hamlets is a multiracial area in East London, which according to the 1991 census has high levels of poverty, overcrowding and unemployment. Increasing poverty and social exclusion, which further entrench inequalities in health, are reported by sources such as Government, health and social services departments as requiring innovative local responses to meet pressing welfare needs. Innovative projects are especially urgent with vulnerable families whose experiences of racism, bullying, mental health difficulties, domestic violence and child abuse are the rule rather than the exception. In common with other initiatives in the United Kingdom and abroad, the FSS aims to be non‐stigmatizing, non‐intrusive and responsive to the ethnicity, views and specific needs of families. The paper focuses on the FSS's participatory work with families to illustrate effective methods of quality support, detail outcomes and draw lessons for policy and practice.